The Republic of T. warns about another potential leadership fiasco, this time involving another influenza pandemic, ready to break.

Tommy Thompson’s lawyer sidekick — who’s followed him from one job to another — is in charge of dealing an avian flu outbreak, should one occur on these shores. Nevermind that he doesn’t have, as far as anyone knows, a day’s worth of experience in dealing with public health emergencies.

This, on top of two pieces of disconcerting news from Silviu Dochia, is enough to send me to the hospital (and, I hate hospitals). First, avian flu has reached eastern Europe. Second, when Tamiflu is regarded as the best prophylactic measure against a pandemic and stockpiling it is the one measure most countries doing anything are doing, could be ineffective already.

Update: Michael Osterholm on NPR explains how a pandemic diffrs from the usual infections seen in most cold/flu seasons and why Tamiflu is no panacea.